The Client

Greater Binghamton Chamber of Commerce

The Greater Binghamton Chamber of Commerce is a nonprofit organization with over 800 member businesses and nonprofits. They help organizations of all sizes to connect, collaborate, and succeed through education, advocacy, networking, and community involvement. The Chamber goes the extra mile to help their members form relationships, and they dedicate their resources to helping every member succeed.

The Challenge

Be The Voice of Business!

The Chamber approached Idea Kraft looking for help in not only changing their visual identity, but also in the way they were presenting themselves through their core messaging, mission, and values. With the transition of leadership taking place, also came the time to look to the future. The Chamber wanted to stand out and create a fresh look to show themselves in a new light.

Throughout the branding process, we looked at several different aspects and asked, “What would members be looking for?” With that in mind, we did our research through email surveys and focus groups with members of the Chamber to gain insight into what was lacking and what was working. Their input and vision was the key for Idea Kraft to rebrand and point the Chamber in the right direction for the future.

Before

Our Approach

Mood boards were created, and an exploration of name changes started the process. “The Chamber?” “GBCC?” “Binghamton Chamber?” Sketches followed, exploring single letter representations, as well as iconic Binghamton imagery. We worked collaboratively with the Chamber to explore concepts that represented the values they associated themselves with–growth, business, community, conversation, vibrancy.

After

The logo ultimately came back to a representation of the Binghamton landscape. While the former logo concentrated on the confluence of two rivers, the new logo focused more on the business landscape and depicts familiar buildings in the Greater Binghamton area. Firstly, the color palette was refreshed, becoming more vibrant and less corporate. Secondly, the typography became more modern as well as legible. The clean and simple logo started the ball rolling when we began the application process in both print and web. The goal was to make all materials more legible, modern, and approachable.

Color Palette

Typography

Illustrations

A full library of icons was created to depict key brand values, and services. In addition to the icons, landscapes were created as a secondary visual element to use across platforms to create interest and a bolder, dynamic look.

The website was one of the biggest challenges of this project. When we started, the most feedback we got from survey takers was their frustration with the current site. For instance, people weren’t able to find the content they were looking for, links were broken, and people didn’t relate to the look.

Our approach was to create a more user-friendly experience, one where people could easily find the information they were looking for. The content needed to be fresh and constantly changing so viewers would return to the site. Visually, we made the colors more energizing, stepped away from stock photography, and put more focus on the members and businesses. In addition to the corporate site, we also created an event landing page to promote the official brand launch.